Public Statements

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014

Floor Speech

I am pleased that my bipartisan bill, the Deployed Troops Support Act, is part of an en bloc amendment later this evening.

My amendment simply allows the Department of Defense to transport, on a space-available basis, goods supplied by nonprofit organizations to members of the armed services who are deployed overseas.

We ensure that the Secretary has the authority to determine that there is a legitimate need for the goods being shipped, and that the supplies are suitable for distribution, and that adequate arrangements have been made for the distribution when the shipment arrives.

This legislative idea was brought to me by veterans in my congressional district, specifically, AVET Project. If enacted into law, it would give our troops the same consideration on a space available as currently granted to foreigners under the Denton Program.